Machine for working on compound rails.



E. RHODES;

MACHINE FOB. WORKING ON COMPOUND RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1912.

1,046,020, Patented De 3.3,1912.

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E. RHODES.

MACHINE FOR WORKING ON COMPOUND RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1912.

Patented Dec.3,1912.

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a glwawfoz I ami/income his m M ms/4M EDGAR RHODES, OF LEEDS, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR 'IO CONTINUOUS RAIL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MACHINE FOR WORKING ON COMPOUND RAIL- S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented Dec. 3,1912.

Application filed June 22, 1912. Serial No. 705,151. a

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDGAR RHODES, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at The Briars, Scholes, Leeds, Yorkshire, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Working on Compound Rails, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to machines for working on compound rails. In such machines bending rollers are employed for fixing on the upper portion of the rail or else rotary disk cutters and a guide roller are employed for cutting off the upper portion of said rail. These rotary tools, that is, the rollers or the cutters, are mounted on shafts carried in movable bearings and through the medium of suitable mechanism are forced against the rail for the purpose of effecting the rolling on or the cutting off operation.

One object of this invention is to provide the machine with means that will cause the tools to approach automatically when the pressure of the too-ls against the work decreases below a certain amount.

Such machines for operating on compound rails are usually provided with driving means for causing the operating tools to move along the rail, and one object of this invention is to provide an automatic feeding means between the driving means and a means for forcing the tools toward each other whereby at least a predetermined pressure will be exerted by the tools against the rail as the operation progresses.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine, for working on the top of compound rails, with an automatic feeding means comprising yielding members, whereby when the pressure of the tools against the rails exceeds a determined amount the feeding of the tools against the work will be in terrupted until the pressure is less than said determined amount. less than said determined amount the tools will be automatically forced again toward each other.

As showing a specific embodiment of the invention, reference is made to the drawings forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation showing only the upper portion of the ap- T/Vhen the pressure is paratus; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of a por tion only of the automatic feeding means.

The reference character 1 designates the frame of the machine to which there are pivoted at 2 and 6 the arms or bearings 3 and 7 carrying respectively shafts 4 and 8, hav-.

ing at their lower ends rotary tools, such as rollers 5 and 9. It will be noted, however, that instead of these rollers 5 and 9, rotary cutting disks could be employed if desired. The upper ends of the shafts 4 and 8 are respectively fitted with gear wheels 10 and 11 that mesh with the gear wheels 12 and 13, which mesh with each other. The gear wheels 12 and 13 are driven through the medium of the spur gear 14, that is connected to the gear wheel 13. This gear wheel 14 is in turn driven from the main drive or source of power in any suitable manner. Due to the construction above described, it will be apparent that when the gear wheel 14 is driven the opposing rotary tools 5 and 9 will have the rotary motion imparted thereto and will thus be caused to move along the rail being operated upon.

The movable bearings 3 and 7 have each attached thereto the outer ends of a toggle link construction, comprising part of the means for causing the bearings to be moved whereby the rotary tools can be forced toward each other. This last mentioned means, furthermore, comprises the nut 16 .which is connected to the central or hinged joint between the links 1515 and has fitting therewith the screw shaft 17 which is driven through the medium of the spur gearing 18, shaft 19, worm wheel 20, and Worm 21 on the operating shaft 22.

An automatic feeding means is cooperatively related with the driving mechanism or gearing for the rotary tools and the means for forcing the tools toward each other. This feeding means comprises a V- grooved wheel 24 having fitted therewith a pawl 25 which is pivotally mounted on an oscillating arm 26 carried onthe shaft 22. The spur wheel 14 constituting a part of the driving means is provided with a pair of cams 27 constituting an undulating surface, against which a roller 28 on a pivoted lever 29 is adapted to work. This lever 29 is pivoted at 32 to a bracket 34 of the frame and the other free end thereof is pivotally connected to one arm of the bell crank lever 30. The other arm of the bell crank lever 30 is coupled by means of a connecting rod 81 to the arm 26 carrying the pawl 25 above referred to. This bell crank lever is connected to the bracket 34 at the point 38. A

7 spring 35 is connected to the lever 30 and to the bracket for the purpose of keeping the roller 28 mounted on the lever 29 in contact with the undulating cam surface 27 27. The pawl 25 may be provided with a spring plunger 36 adapted to engage flats formed on the pivot stud 37 in order to enable said pawl to be thrown into or out of gear with the V-grooved wheel at will.

When the machine is working the undulating cam surface 27 on the rotating wheel 1a effects a continuous oscillation through the medium of the roller 28, the lever 29, bell crank lever 30 and rod 31, of the arm 26 and the pawl 25, whereby the latter can engage and rotate the V-grooved wheel 24 so as to impart step by step movement to the shaft 22 to which the grooved wheel is carried and secured. The axes of rotation of the opposing tools 5 and 96Xt911d. in a direction transverse to the direction in which the axis of the rail extends when between the tools. These tools are'brought into contact with the rail 23 by the step by step rotation of the grooved wheel carrying shaft 22 which operates the means comprising the toggle links 15 that force the tools toward each other in a direction transverse to the axes of rotation of the tools and also in a direction transverse tothe longitudinal axis of the rail when in operating position. The continued step by step rotation of the shaft 22 has the effect of imparting the desired pressure to the opposing rollers and such pressure will be constantly increased until the resistance overcomes the frictional grip of the pawl 25 in the groove of the wheel 24 at which time slipping of the pawl 25 takes place, thus rendering the mechanism safe in action. It will thus be noted that the pawl in the groove of the wheel is constantly reciprocated when the opposing tools are being operated and that it wit-h the wheel serves as a yielding'means between the tool driving or gearing mechanism and the means for forcing the tools toward each other. When the resistance diminishes to a certain amount, the friction of the pawl 25 in the grooved portion of the wheel is sufficient for the pawl to rotate the wheel and consequently the shaft 22 thus moving and forcing the rotary tools 5 and 9 toward each other and automatically adjusting them throughout the operation of the machine so that they will engage the work under at least a predetermined and desired pressure.

I The improvements herein set forth are not limited to the precise construction and arrangement shown and described andthey may be embodied in various forms and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for working on compound rails, the combination of opposing rotary tools, driving means for causing said tools to travel along a rail between the tools, and means for forcing the tools toward each other and means cooperating with both the driving means and the forcing means for automatically causing said tools to be forced toward each other so as to be maintained in engagement with the rail under at least a predetermined pressure.

2. In a machine for working on compound rails, the combination of opposing rotary tools, means for causing relative longitudinal movement between a rail being worked upon and the tools, and means for automatically maintaining the tools in engagement with the work piece under at least a predetermined pressure and for feeding the tools toward each other when said pressure diminishes below the predetermined amount.

3. A machine for working on compound rails comprising a movable frame supporting opposing rotary tools, means for forcing said tools toward each other, means for causing said tools to travel along the work, and means operated by the last mentioned means and cooperatively related with the first mentioned means whereby said first mentioned means will force the tools toward each other when the pressure of the tools against the work decreases below a certain amount.

4. In a machine for working on compound rails, the combination of opposing rotary tools which operate along longitudinally eX- tending portions at the side of the rail, and means for automatically forcing the tools to ward each other so that they engage the work under a predetermined pressure and for positively holding the tools in the position which they assume until the pressure of the tools against the work decreases below a predetermined amount and then automatically forcing the tools toward each other until they again engage the work piece under the predetermined pressure and for positively holding the tools in said position until the pressure of the tool against the work decreases below the predetermined amount.

5. In a tool for Working on thetop of compound rails, the combination of a frame, movable bearings supported thereupon, shafts maintained in said bearings and pro vicled with opposing rotary tools, driving means for rotating said shafts, forcing means comprising gear members for causing the movable bearings to approach each other, and feeding means between the driving means and the forcing means comprising a yielding member.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of opposing rotary tools arranged to operate along longitudinal portions of a workpiece when in operative position between the too-ls, the axes of which tools extend transversely of the longitudinal axis of the workpiece when in operative position between the tools, means for forcing said tools toward each other, and means cooperatively related to the rotary tools and said forcing means to automatically cause the tools to operate along the workpiece and be forced toward each other so as to be maintained in operative engagement with the workpiece under at least a predetermined pressure.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination of opposing rotary tools which operate along longitudinal portions of a workpiece when in place between the tools, the axes of which tools extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece when the latter is in operative position in the machine, forcing means for moving said tools toward each other and for holding them against the workpiece, and feeding means cooperatively related to the tools and the forcing means so that at times when the tools are being operated the feeding means will cause the forcing means to be actuated, said feeding means comprising a yielding member.

8. In a machine for working on compound rails, the combination of opposing rotary tools, means for forcing said tools toward each other until they press against the work under a predetermined pressure and for holding said tools in the same position relat-ive to each other until the pressure of the tool against the work decreases below a predetermined amount, at which time said means will again force them toward each other, and means between the forcing means and the tools for automatically operating the first mentioned means.

9. In a machine for working on compound rails, the combination of opposing rotary members to engage opposite longitudinally extending side portions of a rail, at least one of said members being a tool, whose axis of rotation extends transversely to the longitudinal axis of the rail when between the opposing members, means for moving at least one of said members toward the other in a direction transverse to the axis of rotation of the last mentioned tool, driving means for rotating at least one of said members, and a feeding means operated from the driving means and in turn actuating the moving means, said feeding means comprising a yielding means.

10. In a machine for working on compound rails, the combination of gear connected opposing rotary tools, toggle means for forcing the tools toward each other, and

feeding means between the roll gearing mechanism and the toggle means, said feeding means comprising a yielding member having a V-grooved wheel and a pawl frictionally engaging therewith.

This specification signed and witnessed this 18th day of June A. D. 1912.

EDGAR RHODES. Signed in the presence of- JOHN H. LLOYD, N. C. Fn'r'rnns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

